Pet Supplies Plus opens in Blue Bell

The new staff of Pet Supplies Plus gathers around for a group shot. From left to right Angelique Tomassetti, Jay Orgiefsky, James Spinelli, JaHarris Lomax, Mark Grunwald, Jennifer Jackson and Angela Orler. Friday Jan 4, 2013. Photo by Adrianna Hoff / Times Herald Staff.

To celebrate its grand opening, Pet Supplies Plus is inviting Fido and Fifi and their human counterparts to a “Pets ‘n People Party” at its new Blue Bell location on Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The store where customers are called “neighbors” is treating folks to pizza furnished by its own neighbor in the Shops at Blue Bell shopping center, Frank’s Pizza.

But the chow hounds in attendance will chow down on special snacks nutritionally formulated just for them.

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The mini “pizzas” may be gourmet doggy biscuits in reality, but they look uncannily like the real thing — and heavy on the “oregano,” please.

“We wanted to have pizza for the people and little ‘pizzas’ that are biscuit treats for the dogs,” noted Mark Grunwald, store manager. “We want this store to be a place that people look forward to coming to. So when they come in we greet the pet first, like ‘oh, you brought your owner with you.’ Since our brand is America’s favorite neighborhood pet store, our customers are our neighbors. But even if you live outside of the neighborhood, you’re still welcome here.”

The Michigan-based chain that is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year was hanging out a welcome sign for pets long before many of its competitors in the pet store wars.

“A lot of people like to bring their pets with them to shop,” Grunwald noted. “Most of them bring dogs, but some have well-trained birds that they bring along.”

Free nail trimmings for dogs and plenty of giveaways will add to the weekend festivities as the chain spreads the word about its second Montgomery County location.

The Blue Bell store — which is corporately owned, amid many franchised locations across the country — opened its doors in a former Blockbuster Dec. 1, in conjunction with a store in Warrington, Bucks County.

Pet Supplies Plus established itself in Phoenixville about a dozen years ago.

In addition to birds, fish, a wide range of foods, pet toys and enough varieties of rawhide to guarantee that Sparky never gets bored again, PSP features a self-service dog wash.

“It’s kind of like a self-serve car wash,” Grunwald said, opening the door to the self-contained wash room. “You do the soap, the rinse and then the blow dryer. People love it because the mess is here and not in their bathroom. Everybody gets an apron to wear and the kids like to get in with their dog and it’s fun for families.”

For $8, you get 20 minutes of rub-a-dub-dub time in the tub with your furry friend. Two bucks will lather up an additional 10 minutes, if needed.

“Most people are able to get it done in 20 minutes,” Grunwald pointed out.

If only the best for man’s best friend — and feline — will do, PSP carries an impressive array of premium, all-natural and organic brands, besides the mainstream staples.

By phone from company headquarters in Michigan, CEO Dave Bolen noted that becoming part of the community was integral to the chain’s philosophy from the get-go.

“We’re the third largest pet specialty operator in the country, but we’re much, much smaller than PetSmart or Petco. We like to go into smaller shopping centers that are more convenient for local shoppers, so we consider ourselves the neighborhood pet store. We look forward to becoming a part of the Blue Bell community and getting to know all the neighborhood pets and their people by name.”

About 15 people were hired for the Blue Bell store, he noted.

“We hired some good people there. They’re extensively trained and are qualified to answer a broad range of questions, whether the issue is with a dog or a cat — or an exotic bird or fish. They’re also experts in natural, organic and holistic foods. We understand the special bond between owners and their pets,” Bolen added, “and at the end of the day, we believe that pets own people, not the other way around.”